Illustration of an American flag above a blue sky with white clouds over a globe with green, grey and red text on top and an outer yellow edge with black text

The International Typographical Union was founded on May 3, 1852 and is one of the oldest trade unions in the United States, as well as one of the first to allow women members. They fought for better pay and hours for members by leading boycotts and strikes throughout the country, and in 1906, were successful in becoming one of the first unions to win an eight-hour-work day. They were integral in forming both the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions and the Congress of Industrial Organizations and operated successfully well into the 20th century. By 1980, however, membership and activity had declined due to technological advances and fewer opportunities available for typographic workers. In 1987, the ITU merged with the Communications Workers of America and officially ceased to exist as an independent organization. 

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Chicago-based AdCraft Manufacturing Co. first began making buttons in 1919. The company initially offered products such as conference and luncheon badges, celluloid and metal buttons, ribbons and other advertising novelties and products. Their products ranged from traditional advertising buttons to conference badges. During the 1970s, the company branched out to do other kinds of advertising, including and not limited to signs and displays and became a leading supplier of buttons. Like other companies, political buttons served as one of the largest outputs of products. AdCraft’s ADCO Litho Line, sold in 1978, continued on in the button and advertising business until 2018.

Black text on a white background with an outer American flag background

Geraghty & Company was a Chicago-based button manufacturer known for their campaign badges, buttons, and other advertising novelties. The company was founded in 1893 by John J. Geraghty, former mayor of Streator, IL, with Geraghty lauded as a pioneer manufacturer when he opened a larger button factory at 3035 W. Lake Street in Chicago in 1909. By the early 1920s, Geraghty & Co turned its focus to promoting labor organizations and "Buy American Products."

Black and white headshot photograph with a black rectangle and white text and an outer red edge with white text

The Philadelphia Badge Company manufactured police badges, pinback buttons and employee id fobs. They are most know for their political and cartoon pinback buttons. The pinback buttons are their most sought after collector items.

Red and blue text around a thermometer attached to the button with an outer blue edge

Parisian Novelty Company was founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1898. The company was a leading manufacturer of button parts, button making machinery and equipment.

In 2008, The Matchless Group (founded 1885) purchased the Button division of Parisian Novelty Company to become the Matchless Parisian Novelty Inc. Matchless Parisian Novelty is currently operating and  specializes in button production, located in Chicago on West 49th Place. 

Green and gold illustration of a duck on green water with gold text and with a black half circle with gold text and a gold sky with black text

The Green Duck Metal Stamping Company was founded by George G. Greenburg and Harvey Ducgheisel in 1906 in Chicago, Illinois. They initially provided metal stamped medals, tokens, badges, and even casino chips, but also specialized in pinback buttons, advertising signs, and key tags. In 2004, after nearly a century of operating, Green Duck could not sustain operations and went out of business. Many of their buttons are considered collectors' items and can be found in popular archives such as Hakes Americana & Collectibles. 

Brown text on a blue background with an oval window around a thermometer

Early in his career, Gabriel Felsenthal was a watchmaker, but this would eventually lead him to making jewelry, vanity cases and advertising novelties like celluloid buttons. His company, G. Felsenthal & Sons was established around 1896 in Chicago as a wholesale jewelry company. Soon after he left that company to his brother and started a new company in 1898 that specialized in advertising novelties. With his interest in cameras and his background in watch and jewelry making, he was able to use his skills and knowledge to specialize in the use of photographic images in his advertising novelties like buttons and vanity cases.

Beginning during World War II, the company was a major manufacturer of plastic calculating instruments used by the Army Air Forces and by the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics. This proved so successful that they became known as The Felsenthal Instrument Company and continued to make a variety of plastic items for commercial and technical purposes until 1976.

Black and white headshot photograph of a woman with black rectangle with white text below it inside a circle with an American flag style background and blue and white text outside that

Parisian Novelty Company was established in Chicago in 1898. For over a century, the company manufactured many advertising items and novelties, including compacts, tape measures, and buttons. In addition to being a pioneer in the production of celluloid novelties, Parisian Novelty Company was well-known as a photo button manufacturer at the beginning of the 20th century.

This button was used as a sample to show customers what an employee identification badge would look like. There is a small window in the front of the button, behind which a photograph is placed.

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Bastian Brothers Company was opened in 1895 in Rochester, New York by siblings Theron and Frederick Bastian. Originally a jewelry store, the company quickly began producing customized badges, paperweights, lapel pins, and award products. Bastian Brothers is a totally unionized firm, and all of its products continue to be made in the United States. Its employees wore buttons as a form of employee identification. Though most have a small window in the front of the button, behind which a photograph is placed, some only include the employee number.

Black text on a copper background

Adcraft Manufacturing Co is a private company located in Broadview, Illinois. This small business has been manufacturing plastic products since 1976.